WWE Royal Rumble Venue Draws Heavy Criticism for Empty Look – Fans watching WWE Royal Rumble 2026 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia took to social media during the event to question WWE’s claims about attendance inside Riyadh Season Stadium.
The premium live event is taking place at the purpose-built venue as part of Riyadh Season. During the opening moments of the show, Michael Cole stated on commentary that the Royal Rumble was taking place in front of a capacity crowd. That comment immediately drew scrutiny from viewers, as images and clips shared online appeared to show large sections of empty seating throughout the stadium.
Several photos circulating on social media showed noticeable gaps in the crowd, particularly in wide-angle shots of the venue. Fans were quick to react online, with one user writing, “THE STADIUM IS SO EMPTY FOR THE ROYAL RUMBLE. WHAT’S GOING ON.” Another fan suggested the lighting setup may have contributed to the perception, stating, “I think it’s LEDs.” A third comment added, “They just turn off and you can see that it’s empty af.”
The LED lighting used during entrances and wide shots has been cited by some fans as a possible reason the empty sections appeared more pronounced. While there are clearly fans seated in areas close to the ring and near the LED structures, the lighting design appears to highlight unoccupied areas during broader camera angles. However, even during lower-angle shots throughout the broadcast, sizable empty sections remained visible.
This situation mirrors what viewers noticed during Friday’s SmackDown, which also took place in Riyadh. On that broadcast, Michael Cole mentioned that approximately 18,000 fans were expected to attend and described the crowd as “late-arriving.” Despite that explanation, empty seats were clearly visible throughout the show, prompting similar questions from fans watching at home.
Following SmackDown, fans in Saudi Arabia claimed that ticket distribution issues played a major role. According to multiple reports on social media, tickets were not properly sold through the official platform and instead surfaced on secondary resale websites. Some fans alleged that tickets originally priced affordably were later listed at significantly higher prices, preventing many locals from attending.
As of this writing, WWE has not released official attendance figures for Royal Rumble 2026. Riyadh Season Stadium was reportedly constructed on a former parking lot and converted into a multi-purpose venue for the event in a very short timeframe, which has also sparked discussion online.
Until WWE confirms the actual numbers, questions surrounding the true attendance at Royal Rumble 2026 are likely to continue.
WWE Royal Rumble Venue Draws Heavy Criticism for Empty Look
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